Disc Details
Special Features:	Scene selection. Animated, interactive menu. Photo Gallery. Behind the scenes featurette. Original theatrical trailer.
Video Format:	Widescreen (1.66:1)
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Captions:	None.
Casing:	1-Disc Keep Case

Don't mess with Gorgo's mama!

Prolific Art Director and collaborator of Jean Renoir, Eugene Lourie only directed a handful of films. Most of them were sci-fi/horror films, including three of the best creature features of the 50s. His first was Ray Harryhausen's breakthrough film "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953) which he also co-scripted. His second dinosaur film, "The Giant Behemoth" (1959) was Willis O'Brien's final stop-motion animation movie. "Gorgo" was Lourie's final film as a director. In Gorgo, the stop-motion animation of the two great masters was replaced by the Tokyo approach. "Gorgo" is a man is a rubber suite. While the effects can't compare with the wizardry of Harryhausen or O'Brien, the results are equal to if not better than the efforts of Toho studios.

The plot is similar to that of "King Kong" with a nice maternal twist. A deep sea salvage crew led by Joe (Bill Travers) and Sam (William Sylvester) accidentally comes across a sea monster awakened by an undersea earthquake. The 65 foot tall Gorgo attacks a sleepy Irish fishing village. The two entrepreneurs capture the beast and transport it to London to make money from its exhibition. Once in London, Gorgo is examined by a scientist who informs its owners that it is in fact an infant dinosaur. Full grown, Gorgo would stand nearly 200 feet tall. Turns out the scientist was right. Katie bar the door 'cause here comes Mama Gorgo. Mama followed the boat from Ireland to England and is hell bent on rescuing her little one. Its a shame too, because London was so pretty before Mama came to town. I guess the Londoners must have finally repaired London Bridge after that Brontosaurus tore it down back in 1925 (see our "Lost World" review), just kidding.

The movie was aimed at the juvenile audience. There is an orphan boy named Sean (Vincent Winter) who tags along with Joe and Sam. He acts as the film's conscience. He knows what it is like to be a kid alone in the world without parents. He would like to help Gorgo escape, but is limited by his youth and size. Usually kids in this type of film are a death knell for the movie as a whole. Not so in this case. Sean is neither too obnoxious or smart alecky. He actually helps the movie from the point of view of a child. Kids can watch the movie without wishing the little brat on the screen would get eaten by the monster. Movies like "Dinosaurus" "The Mummy Returns" and even the boy in "Jurassic Park" all should have met sticky ends. I really wanted the brat in "Jurassic Park" to get caught up on that fence a while longer. I call these performances Freddie Bartholomew performances after the all time obnoxious Hollywood brat. Anyway, Vincent Winter gives a solid performance. The part has some sappy moments, but you knew that from what you've read so far. This is a prehistoric tear jerker.

The rest of the cast is fine. You watch this film for the big rubber monster, not great dramatic moments. However, the final shot of Mama and baby Gorgo heading out to sea is a great dramatic moment. (There, I've done it! I wrote my first spoiler review!) Knowing the ending will not ruin the experience for you. The special effects are great for their day, and they are still fun today. Mama Gorgo manages to kick the stuffing out of London. Many famed landmarks bite the dust. There are echoes of the Rhedosaurus' attack on New York from "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" as folks run into the subway only to be crushed by collapsing sidewalks from the monster lumbering above.

There are several standout scenes. Baby Gorgo attacking a diving bell; the infant's attack on the Irish fishing village, and being repelled by fire wielding townsfolk; Gorgo's head rising from the foggy night sea while the camera zooms in for a close up. Of course, the highlight is the destruction of London which takes up the last third of the film. This is nostalgic fun for anyone who has ever fallen in love with dinosaurs.

Picture Quality: 8/10
Good job. Some scenes are dark, but the film has many nighttime scenes. Considering the age of the movie, the picture is great.

Sound Quality: 8/10
Same as above. VCI did a good job on the transfer. Any flaws are the fault of the source material.

Menu: 9/10
I know when you see the menu you may ask why I gave it a nine. The menu has Gorgo being chased through downtown by a helicopter. The animation is a bit cheesy. But hey, this is a man in a rubber suite monster movie! I think VCi captured the fun, Saturday afternoon matinee essence of this movie in the menu.

Extra Features: 8/10
The behind the scenes featurette is informative. Nice info about director Lourie. OK photo gallery. This is one of VCI older DVD efforts. A good job. They have been expanding their extra features on more recent releases.

The Final Word:
One of my childhood favorites and it is still good today. Thanks again to VCI Entertainment for finding and releasing these forgotton gems.

Rusty White